What They Don't Know Can Kill You
by JayJay-san
Summary: Some secrets are ok to keep. Others can be deadly. So how do you know which ones to keep to yourselves and which ones you should share? Rating may change.
1. When You're Gone

A/N Ch.1 is really short but it's more of an intro than anything else. Please enjoy. Reviews are welcome and encouraged. Flames are always welcome. They will warm up my dorm room.

**Chapter 1) When You're Gone**

Tsunade tapped her fingers on her desk as she glanced at the clock on the wall for the hundredth time in the past hour. It was almost time. She leaned back in her chair and stared out her window. The window her gaki had a bad habit of using as a door and gazed out at her village. Gray clouds hung in the air. It's going to rain, she thought. The sound of the door brought her attention back to her office. A short brunette entered the office holding a pig.

"What can I do for you Shizune?" Shizune bowed to the blonde woman.

"Lady Tsunade, Naruto Uzumaki still has yet to come in." Tsunade sighed.

"I'll give him some time. He probably overslept. Team seven just finished their mission yesterday afternoon. I'll let it slide this time." Shizune bowed again and left the room. "You better get here soon gaki."

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><p>Naruto groaned as he rolled off the bed. His body still sore from the mission. It wasn't a hard mission just a long one. He rubbed sleep from his blue eyes as he made his way to the bathroom for a shower. Ten minutes later he entered his kitchen fully clothed and rubbing his towel attempting to dry his unruly blonde hair. He plopped down on one of his bar stools and stared at the island's counter.<p>

He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had an hour before he had to meet up with Tsunade. He rubbed his temples. He was starting to get a migraine. He draped the towel over his shoulders deciding it better to get some breakfast before his meeting rather than after. Cereal sounded much better than Ramen at the moment.

He got up and headed for the refrigerator and grabbed the carton of milk and some random piece of fruit. Placing those on the counter he turned and grabbed a bowl and a spoon. Walking to the other side of the kitchen he grabbed the box of frosted mini wheats. He really should move those closer to the bowls.

He filled the bowl with cereal and was about to add the milk when it hit him. Excruciating pain shot through his head. The milk jug slipped out of his hand and clattered on the floor loudly. His nails dug into his scalp as pain racked through his skull. He placed his hand on the edge of the counter and tried to make his way to the other room. He made it to the end of the counter before collapsing to the ground.

Fire swam in his veins causing his body to spasm against his will. He heart beat was all over the place. It's normal rhythm forgotten. He tried to calm his body down. Taking in one shaky breath at a time wasn't working like it should have been. He curled himself into a ball and silently pleaded for someone to come help him. He bit through his lip trying not to cry out in pain. Tears ran down his face. The pain only seemed to be getting worse. He was almost thankful when darkness took over.

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><p>Tsunade growled at the clock. That baka gaki of hers was two hours late for his appointment. I'm gonna kill that kid, she thought. He slammed her hands down on the desk and pushed her chair back.<p>

"Shizune I'm heading over to Uzumaki place. I'll be back soon. That gaki is in for one hell of a beating if he's still asleep." Tsunade thundered as she stormed out of her office and toward the Hokage Tower entrance. A few minutes later she was pounding on the door of one Uzumaki Naruto. There was no answer.

"Hey open up Naruto, I know you're in there." No answer. "Don't make me break down this door, Naruto. You know I won't pay for the damages if you don't answer this door by the count of three." She huffed. "Ok you asked for it. 3…2…1" The door split in three and flew off its hinges crashing to the floor on the other side of the apartment.

Tsunade stormed into the apartment. The sky was currently matching her current state. She glanced around the front room but say nothing. She made her way deeper into the apartment. She started heading toward the kitchen when her heart stopped and her eyes widened in fear.

"Naruto!" Said boy was curled up into a ball on the floor. A huge milk puddle just inches from his feet. She rushed over, sliding the last few inches on her knees to the fallen boy's side. She quickly checked for a pulse and if he was breathing. A faint sigh of relief passed her lips when she found both to be faint. She scoped the upper half of his body into her lap and gently tapped his cheek.

"Naruto, Naruto, come on open your eyes. You're ok. I got you. Come on Naruto open your eyes." Her voice became more desperate with each passing second. His eye lids flutter open, but only half way.

"Tsunade?" His voice was no more than a whisper. She hugged him closer to her, smothering him in her large chest.

"I got you its ok now." Tsunade started stroking his damp hair. She filtered some of her chakra into him to dull the pain. His eyes fluttered.

"Tsunade," he said weakly, "I'm not . . . not ready." He whimpered. She fought of the calling of tears and gave him her best reassuring smile.

"It's ok Naruto I've got you." She could barely feel his chakra. Naruto started to lightly tremble.

"I . . . I don't want to die." She hugged him closer to her. She stroked his temple gently. She took a shaking breath.

"Shh, it's ok. You can take a nap. I'll wake you up later." She gave him a warm smile.

His eyes fluttered closed. Her body trembled violently when she felt his heart beat and breathing slow come to a complete stop. Her eyes betrayed her as unshed tears fell freely from them. She brought the lifeless body closer resting her face on his neck. She sobbed louder.

"Naruto."

-TBC-

End A/N Don't kill me this is just chapter 1. Naru-chan will be back in chapter two don't worry.


	2. Hey Stoopid

AN: Disclaimer: If I really owned Naruto do you think I'd be writing fan fiction?

Also this chapter may seem a bit boring, but bear with it. It lays down ground work for later. As I said before reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Flames are always welcome. They will warm my dorm room.

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><p>What They Don't Know Can Kill You<p>

Chapter 2) Hey Stoopid

"Ah-ah-choo!" Naruto whipped his nose on his sleeve and moaned.

"You'll get no sympathy from me Naruto." Sakura remarked. "I warned you that if you stayed out in the rain that long you'd get a cold."

"I was training, Sakura. Like Grandma Tsunade and Iruka-sensei keep saying 'you need to be prepared for anything'. So I was training in the rain." Sai chuckled at Naruto's tone. He was currently learning about persuasion and how to use sympathy to win your case.

"Naruto training in the rain for eight hours straight will give anyone a cold." Naruto's shoulders slumped in defeat. Kakashi nodded to the guards as they passed through the gates of Konoha.

"Well as much fun as this has been, I really should be checking up on my dolphin. The poor thing has probably been worried sick about me. So let's meet up in an hour at the Hokage Tower to hand in our reports. That sounds good right?" He didn't wait for their responses before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"So go home, clean up, change and meet back in an hour then?" Sai asked with his fake smile firmly in place. Sakura and Naruto both nodded before all three darted off in different directions.

An hour later the three meet up in front of Hokage Tower. Sai and Sakura seemed to have been freshly bathed and had on cleaner clothes, while Naruto on the other hand wore, uncharacteristically, a pair of black pajama pants and a white t-shirt with the hidden leaf symbol on it.

"What?" He asked as he rubbed his nose.

"No orange? It looks weird, not a bad weird just weird." Sakura said. She grabbed the door handle went inside.

"Weird indeed." Sai followed Sakura's example and went inside. Naruto threw a glare and followed.

"Where's Kakashi?" Tsunade asked when they walked in. "Never mind, he'll show up eventually." They sat down and started the oral part of their report. After the hundredth sniffle for Naruto, Tsunade slammed her hand down on her desk.

"What's wrong with you, gaki?" she demanded. He fidgeted in his seat.

"I . . . uh . . . heh I kinda got a cold while we were on our way back from the mission." He scratched the back of his head as he spoke and looked away from her, knowing that there was a good chance he was going to get wacked in the head for his stupidity. She sighed loudly.

"Fine stay after and I'll check you out." He stared in shock for a moment before grinning.

"Thanks grams." She glared at him before signaling to Sakura to continue.

"So what did you do this time, gaki?" She asked when the others left. HE gave a sheepish grin before answering. She rummaged in a drawer looking for the first aid box.

"Well, I was training for like eight hours. . ." She rolled her eyes.

"How do you get a cold from training?"

"It was kinda raining for the full eight hours. Haha."

"Of course it was. Open up." She trusted the thermometer at him. "So you brilliant plan for yesterday was to stay out in the rain for eight hours. Naruto you are a genius. Arm." He held out his arm and she drew blood.

"What's that for?" He handed back the thermometer when it beeped.

"To make sure you didn't bring anything back with you besides the runny nose that could be making you sick."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. So, about the whole cold thing, you're not going to suspend me from missions are you? You know I heal fast." She threw a death glare at him which he ignored.

"No, I'm not suspending you, but if you are still sick when you get the next one you are staying here no questions asked. Now stay still while I finish the exam."

Naruto glared at the piece of paper in his hand. He hated medicine and now he had to get three prescriptions filed. Today sucked, he thought. He crumpled the paper and shoved it into his pocket before heading towards the far side of downtown. He still had work to do. He came to a stop outside his favorite hardware store. The place seemed to have everything and anything you could want to improve, or in Naruto's case rebuild, a house. The tiny set of bells rang as he entered the door.

"Welcome back Naruto." A man said from the back. When he came around to the front Naruto smiled. The man was middle aged and was starting to get gray hairs, but Naruto knew better than that. The man could easily break him in half with his bare hands.

"Hi Akira, how's it going?" Akira gave him a strange look, almost as if he was sizing him up.

"Are you feeling ok, Naruto? You look under the weather." Naruto chuckled.

"I have the sniffles, but nothing serious. They'll be gone in a day or two." Akira nodded. He headed over to the cash register.

"Your usual shipment or are you getting something different this time around? Oh, I got something in the back I want you to look at. I think it might help you if you need it that is." He ushered Naruto towards the back of the store where Akira kept his workshop. "So what do you think?"

He drew back the curtain and saw the most elegant bed frame he'd ever seen with intricate wood work designs wrapping its way around the post and the headboard. There was canopy cloth off to the side that Naruto figured was going to eventually be attached to the beautiful bed.

"It's gorgeous Akira. Out of my price range, but it's incredible. I can't use it though which sucks. If I wasn't rebuilding to be an exact replica of the original, I would so buy it and pay you in installments for it." Naruto's fingers traced over the designs upon the smooth wood the whole time he spoke. Akira smirked at his comments.

"That's too bad Naruto," He grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him to another part of the workshop. There was another bed there too. Naruto's jaw dropped when he noticed the design in the head board. "Because I made this one for only you free of charge."

The bed was made of dark Mahogany wood and the designs on it were wood burned and painted in silvers and blues. The head board was what impressed Naruto the most. Two family crests were interwoven with each other with two signature chakra jutsu fanning out from the crests. The posts had an intricate pattern of what almost appeared to be ivy growing up them with small orange flowers blooming in it and disappearing into the canopy. Dark red and blue satin sheets and comforter were layered on the bed. There was cloth for a midnight blue and blood red interchangeable canopy covers. Naruto turned to look at Akira.

"Akira, I don't know what to say. But why did you use those two crests?" Akira rolled his eyes.

"Naruto I'm not as stupid as I look. If you're willing to single handedly rebuild that entire place from scratch exactly as it was for someone who isn't even here, the only logical reason would be that you really love that person. So I though it only natural that I make something to show it." He smiled at Naruto that all knowing look in his eye.

"Don't tell anyone ok? Well I think I need to get going if I want to get any work done over there tonight." Akira nodded understandingly. "I was thinking about working on the interior this time around. I kind of have a cold."

"No problem, I got just the stuff you'll need. This way, and don't worry about the bill, I'll put it on your tab and you can pay me later." Naruto smiled.

"And that is why I love you Akira."

Half an hour later six clones and Naruto arrived at their destination. They dropped the materials in the front room before dissipating into smoke. He grabbed the rolled up floor plans from the shelf and started laying them out one by one in order of where the building was located within the compound.

Mentally he went over what each needed immediate work and which could be put off until latter. The roof needed to be finished on one of the far building but that would have to wait until tomorrow when he had more light outside. A few needed electrical work done which also needed to be put off until he could get Neji or Hinata to get back from their missions and had some time to spare to help him. He glanced at the clock on the floor to his left. He could pick up the furniture he ordered, but the shop would be closing in ten minutes and that wouldn't be worth it in the end.

"Well the interior of here and six other buildings are finished enough to where I don't need to do anything in the walls or anything so I guess I should start cleaning over there." He grabbed two of the plastic bags and put them in the bucket and grabbed the broom, dustpan and a mop. He had cleaning rags over there all ready and headed towards the door.

Kakashi knocked on the door to Naruto's apartment. After a short wait he knocked again. When a few minutes past with no response he sighed. "I guess I should go check there next" he thought. He jumped off the landing and landed gracefully on a rooftop not far away heading toward the compound. Twenty minutes later he landed outside the main gate. He pushed to gate open, not surprised that the blonde had left it unlocked. Only a few people ever came here.

"NARUTO!" There was no response. Kakashi sighed again. He made his way through the compound heading to the far side. "Naruto, are you there?" He was about to yell again when he heard a faint crash. He rolled his eyes and headed toward the source of the sound.

Naruto moved in his sleep again except this time he stretched his legs and knocked over the broom that was leaning against the wall not far from where he crashed last night. Kakashi knocked on the door before entering the shop.

"Naruto, are you in here? Iruka was looking for-" He stopped when he turned the corner and saw Naruto passed out on the floor. He chuckled before shaking the boy. "Naruto wake up."

"Five more minutes, Iruka-sensei." He moaned as he rolled over. Kakashi him harder and his eyes fluttered open. "Huh? What are you doing here Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, I was looking for you. Iruka was desperate to see his gaki so he begged me to find you with tears in his eyes. It was so adorable."

"You're lying again Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi's grin fell.

"Fine, so he wasn't begging or crying but he was looking for you. From the tone of his voice it did sound important." Naruto sighed deeply before yawning and stretching his arms above his head, arching his back in the process.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming."

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><p>AN: I know it's kinda boring, but hang on it will get better. Sasu-sama should appear in the next chapter. . . I hope.


	3. Going Through The Motions

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, my muse was off somewhere and I couldn't find it for the longest time. So to make it up to you I have prepared the longest chapter so far. Also has some plot development and the usual blah blah blah.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto would Sasu-sama have ever left to join that piece of [ insert any word you wish], Orochimaru? I don't think so.

Warnings: None that come to mind except for a ticked Tsunade.

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><p>Chapter 3) Going Through the Motions<p>

Kakashi and Naruto made their way towards the Ninja Academy via rooftops to save time that Kakashi had wasted in his search for the blonde. Kakashi kept glancing over his shoulder at him, assessing him the whole way. He still seemed like he had his cold. Every few roofs the blonde would run the sleeve of his jacket across his face, well his nose to be exact. They made it to the Academy in no time at all. Iruka was waiting outside the gate for them as they made their approach. They landed a few feet shy of where he was standing.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka grinned as they made their way to the gate.

"Morning Iruka-sensei." Naruto sniffed when he was closer to the man. "Kakashi-sensei said you wanted me for something?" Iruka's smile faltered a bit when he sniffed again and slid his sleeve across his face.

"Naruto are you ok?" Iruka stepped closer and placed his hand on the boy's forehead. Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"I'm alright, got a little cold on my last mission. Don't worry about it." Worry crossed the man's face before it settled into a small smile.

"Are you sure?" Naruto's grin grew and he automatically scratched the back of his head. Iruka sighed. "Alright. Thank you for bringing him here." He nodded towards the other man. Kakashi gave a wave before disappearing.

"So… what did you need me for?" Naruto added his other hand to the back of his head and started for the door. Iruka quickly followed.

"I'm having trouble with this one student of mine. He's having issues with his chakra control and making shadow doppelgangers. I thought that since you have overcome these same problems at his age that you could help him." They stopped outside one of the classrooms.

"So kinda do what I did with Konohamaru. I get it. So… what's this kid's name?" Naruto sniffled and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"His name is Wanijima Kenji. He's twelve years old and I think he might wind up with Kakashi as his cell leader or maybe even Neji-san. I heard that Lady Tsunade is thinking about giving him his own team this year."

"Or… sounds to me, like it is more likely that Neji will get him. I'll see what I can do, but I'm not making any promises today. I'm not even sure my chakra is going to work properly today." Iruka chuckled before entering the classroom. Naruto waited just outside of the open door.

All the students, who were talking amongst themselves for however long it was before Iruka came in quieted down immediately when Iruka came into the classroom. Naruto chuckled at the sight. A few heads turned and acknowledged his presence with a nod before turning back to face Iruka.

"Good morning class." The class returned the greeting before he continued. "Today we are going to work on making shadow clones of different objects as well as people. We'll break into groups to practice, and . . . we are going outside for class."

There was a collective groan when Iruka mentioned clones but it instantly stopped at the mention of outside practice. The students formed two lines and started for the door. Naruto moved out of the way as they got closer. Iruka caught the arm of a black haired, green eyed boy who just happened to be the last one in line.

"Kenji-kun, this is Naruto. He's your sempai. He graduated for the academy around your age. He offered to help you out since you're having the same troubles that he had when he was your age." Naruto grinned at Kenji. Kenji looked Naruto up and down for a good few minutes before speaking.

"I can see why he has issues with chakra control. He's still a genin. Sensei, does he have to help me? I think I'd be better off that way." Iruka stifled a chuckle as Naruto's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Look here you chibi gaki-" Iruka clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth before he could finish.

"Kenji-kun, this is Naruto-kun, the one who saved our village from Pein all by himself. The reason he's still a genin is because he was outside the village for training for a few years and missed the chuunin exams for those years. And when he got back, Lady Tsunade kept sending him out on missions. He was training with the Toad Sage Jiraiya-sama. You may not be able to see it, but he's really strong, maybe even stronger than most jounin." Kenji's eyes widened a fraction. Naruto shrugged Iruka's arm off of him.

"Kenji, you know Konohamaru right?" He nodded. "Then you know how he got that cool jutsu where he gathers chakra in his hand and it forms a spiraling ball of chakra?" He nodded again. "I taught him that." Kenji's eyes bugged.

"No way." Kenji dismissed the notion immediately.

"He did actually. Along with some other Justus I wish to god he never invented." Iruka sighed as he remembered Konohamaru-kun trying to use one of them on him to get out of class. He shuddered at how close he had actually come to pulling it off too.

"You invented your own jutsu?" Naruto grinned. He leaned closer and whispered in Kenji's ear.

"Yup, and I could teach them to you too. If you want that is." Naruto threw his arm around Kenji's shoulders and steered him out of the classroom and towards the back door. Realization dawned on Iruka seconds after the two were out of his sight. He quickly made his way after them.

"Naruto don't you dare teach him those jutsu. Do you hear me? Don't you dare. Just teach him normal chakra control." Naruto ignored him as he turned the corner. Iruka held the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He knew this would most likely bite him in the butt in the long run, but it was too late now. Kenji was at the mercy of the number one surprising ninja in Konoha. He just prayed that Naruto didn't scar the boy's mind too badly, after all he was still only in the academy.

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><p>Tsunade glared at the stack of papers on her desk. No matter how many she sighed or whatever else needed to be done with them, the pile never seemed to shrink. She glanced down to her bottom left drawer. Said drawer held her best friend and they hadn't seen each other since yesterday. She contemplated her odds on whether or not Shizune would burst through the door the second the cup would be to her lips and get yet another lecture from the girl about proper Hokage behavior. Deciding to take the chance she opened the drawer and took out a bottle of sake and a cup. She poured herself a generous amount before replacing the cork into the bottle. She brought the cup to her lips and inhaled deeply savoring the smell of a new bottle of sake. She parted her lips and brought the cup the rest of the way to her mouth.<p>

"Tsunade-sama I have a medical report here for you. It's unmarked so I'm not exactly sure whose it is." Shizune said as she entered the room unannounced. Tsunade jumped in surprise, causing the cup and its precious content flying all over the desk and floor.

"Damn it. Shizune get belled collar." Shizune stared as she watched her mentor dab up the spilt sake from her desk and the documents that were unfortunate casualties in the crossfire. She sighed and shook her head when she noticed the new bottle of sake on the edge of the desk.

"Lady Tsunade, we've gone over drinking in the office hundreds of times." Shizune stated.

"I don't believe you came in here just to talk about my drinking habits. What's that?" She motioned to the folder in Shizune's arms.

"Oh, right. This was just delivered. It appeared to be lab results. There's no name on the folder so I'm not sure whose it is yet without opening it." Shizune walked over and tried to find a clear spot on the desk for the folder.

"Don't worry about it. I know who it belongs to. I put a rush on it so I was expecting it sometime today anyway." Shizune nodded and handed over the folder. "Thank you." Shizune bowed slightly before leaving the room.

Tsunade broke the seal on the folder. She flipped through the familiar filed pages. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. She continued towards the newer data towards the end of the file. Her eyes narrowed at the test results. There was no way in hell they could be right. If in the slightest chance that they were, something had to be done immediately.

"SHIZUNE!" Shizune burst into the room. A horrified look graced her features. "Send these back immediately. Have them triple check their results before I see the results again. Make them drop all of their other tasks. This takes top priority. Nothing else matters at the moment. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Shizune took the folder and fled out of the room and down the halls towards the labs.

"Please let those results be wrong. Please." She begged the empty room.

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><p>Naruto and Kenji panted as they lay on their backs in the cool grass. Naruto stared at the clouds over head feeling a bit like Shika at the moment. He brushed his sleeve across his face, removing a gallon of sweat as it went.<p>

"Well . . . I think . . . you're starting . . . to get." Naruto panted harder as he tried to talk.

"Thanks." Naruto sat up and slid closer to one of the trees. He was about to speak again when his stomach spoke for him. They both started laughing.

"I guess that means it's time for a lunch break then." Kenji nodded his agreement. Naruto made his way to his feet and pulled Kenji up to his. They made their way back inside towards the classroom. Iruka caught them in the hallway.

"So how's it going you two?" Naruto waved his hand in a so-so manor. Kenji elbowed him hard in the side.

"He's getting there. The shadow clones look human-ish, but they still need some work."

"Hey they look human."

"Yeah but they won't pass for the real you yet. I mean a cat named Tora° could easily tell it was a fake. Again, they are almost there." Iruka nodded in understanding.

"So you boys going to get lunch now?"

"Yup, later I have stuff to do so I can't stay long after lunch though. Maybe like an hour or so."

"That's fine. What do you have besides going back to fix up that place?" Iruka asked. "Just out of curiosity."

"Oh, baa-san wants me to meet her later so she can make me take more meds to get rid of this little cold. Then it's back to fixing the place up. That teme better be bowing at my feet with gratitude when he gets back or else I'll tear it down and make him comp. me for all my money and time." Naruto ended that with an evil grin.

"Alright, well hopefully you feel better." Iruka waved bye to the boys before disappearing down the hall.

Ten minutes later they were both seated at the counter of Ichiraku's Ramen. Naruto had two empty bowls next to him as Kenji was still working on his first.

"So who's the teme and what are you fixing?"

"My best friend left a while ago on a personal mission and I don't know when he'll be back, but I made a promise to someone that I would do everything in my power to make sure he comes home. And after Pein made a mess of the village I decided to his place up since I'm the only one who remembers what it originally looked like. The only down side is that he's a big jerk so he's sooo going to be paying me back for everything I've done for him."

"Are you sure he's your friend, I mean you keep calling him a jerk and teme." Naruto grinned.

"He's basically my brother, so I can call him whatever I want." Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he finished his third bowl of ramen. Kenji thought about it and only came up with a few people who could fit the description, but dismissed them all.

"So do you really think he'll come back?" Naruto stared at him for the longest time before he spoke.

"Without a doubt in my mind I know he's going to come back. I'll stake my name and my legacy on it." Naruto smiled again. Half an hour later they were back at the academy training.

Two hours later Naruto was waving bye to Iruka as he took to the roofs to see Tsunade. He jumped down and made the rest of the way by foot when he got closer to the tower. He gave a slight wave to Anko and Ibiki as he made his way through the lobby of the tower. They both nodded in acknowledgement before resuming their conversation, as he made his way to the stairs.

"Good afternoon, Shizune." She fumbled with papers on her desk. From the look of it she was trying to find a certain document. She sighed and raised a hand to her temple before shaking her head.

"Hello Naruto. You can go in if you want; she is expecting you, so whenever you're ready just go on in." She took a deep breath before starting up her search again. Naruto stared at the door.

A mischievous grin spread across his face before he moved closer to the window. He glanced at Shizune. She was still wrapped up in what she was doing. He quickly opened the window and jumped out. Gathering chakra in his hands he slowed his fall and climbed around the building approaching the window in the other side. He climbed up to just above the open window. Tsunade was busy scribbling a note while reading a file. He grinned again. He flipped down and entered through the window.

"GOOD AFTERNOON BAA-CHAN!" he yelled and landed in a crouch near his desk. Tsunade jumped a foot and nearly dropped the papers in her hands.

"KAMI! You kuso gaki. When are you ever going to learn to use the door?" She glared at him before sighing. "I was just looking over the results of your blood work. You should be rid of your cold in a few days." He grinned again as he plopped down into one of the chairs across from her desk.

"So I don't need any more meds?" She stared him in the eye looking for a hint, something that he wasn't telling her.

"Yes and no. Naruto there was something off in your test results. I made them recheck multiple times. Naruto there seems to be something off with you, I think-"

"I already know. I've known for a while now. Don't worry about it." A mixture of emotions crossed her face before finally deciding to settle on a cross between confusion and worry. He gave her a half smile before scratching the back of his neck.

"Naruto are you telling me you know what's going on with your chakra and the anomalies are, and that you are ok with it?" He nodded. "Naruto if what the tests show is correct then that means that-"

"I know. I've been dealing for the last couple of years. It doesn't matter." Tsunade frowned. This had been happening for years and she never noticed? "Tsunade I know that this wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk about today." She sighed before putting the folder to the side. This meeting was going to last a whole lot longer then she anticipated and their current conversation was long from over.

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><p>Four sets of matching black cloaks ruffled in the breeze. All four where were concealed in the canopy of the forest overlooking the small village. Their target was illegibly somewhere down in that village. Their mission was a simple one. Find the scientist, make him hand over all his material and kill the man when they were finished.<p>

"So our target is somewhere down there?" One of the cloaked figures asked to no one in particular. The figure next to him slugged him in the arm before shaking her head.

"Baka."

"Whore."

A third figure stepped between them and shoved them both off the tree branch in opposite directions. The shorter of the two that fell, quickly gathered chakra into her hand and caught ahold of one of the lower branches, her hood, in the process falling back and revealing a head or red hair. The taller of the two wasn't so lucky and hit the ground hard on his back. The red head started laughing at him.

"Nice one fish brain." She continued to laugh. The figure that had knocked them both off breathed deeply out of his nose.

"Silence, both of you. Juugo, secure our lodging. Karin, find out what you can about the target. Suigetsu, go with Juugo and stay out of trouble. I'm going to find our target." They each nodded after being given their task before disappearing from the treetops, well most of them.

The one that had given them orders remained where he was a bit longer. When they were all out of his sight he raised his hands and through back his hood. Dark eyes framed in even darker hair clashed well with his pale skin. His hair stuck up in the back awkwardly. He was going to have to get it cut soon. His bangs were starting to bother him with how long they had become. It suited him just fine though and would most likely be put off even longer. He mentally calculated his position before turning to stare North West of his current location. **_He_** was that way last he heard. He should be back from his mission by now if his source was reliable. He sighed again before replacing his hood and jumping down from the tree towards the little village.

* * *

><p>AN: See I told you Sasu-sama would be in this chapter. Don't worry Sasu fans chapter four is mostly about Sasu-sama. Wow I didn't notice how like half the chapter is all conversations. Oh well. Also I have a rough outline for chapter 4 written up so I plan to have it up by the end of the year. School is such a drag when it comes to writing stuff. Also if you have checked out my profile page you'll see why it's taking me so long in posting. I currently have like 10 stories that I am typing up at the same time and have noted when I am planning on having them up and posted.

As I have said before, **reviews ****are ****good ****and ****welcomed ****even ****if ****they ****are ****flames**. My roommate is a penguin, (and my bff), so they will greatly help me in the fight against the freezing machine we call the AC that is currently at the lowest and coldest temperature setting that it has and will remain there even through the winter months.

PS: no I will not say what is wrong with Naru-chan until a much later date but you are welcome to ask me and if I think you are close or whatever I tell you but for that kind of info you have to review.


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